Is Plastic Making us Fat?

I knew it all along. It's the darn plastic that's making me fat. Thank God I don't have to give up my McDonalds!

Ok, so maybe that's not the whole story. If you lay around doing nothing all day eating junk food and lounging on the couch then yes you're fat because of your own behavior.

BUT....

Scientists are finding that the infamous endocrine disrupting chemicals in, well, most everything, have a dramatic effect on human metabolism and appetite control. Some are even saying we are programmed for obesity!

According to Frederick vom Saal, professor of biological science at University of Missouri-Columbia, environmental chemicals found in everyday plastics and pesticides may very well influence obesity. Dr. vom Saal has found that when fetuses are exposed to these chemicals, the way their genes function may be altered to make them more prone to obesity and disease.

"Certain environmental substances called endocrine-disrupting chemicals can change the functioning of a fetus's genes, altering a baby's metabolic system and predisposing him or her to obesity. This individual could eat the same thing and exercise the same amount as someone with a normal metabolic system, but he or she would become obese, while the other person remained thin," vom Saal said. "This is a serious problem because obesity puts people at risk for other problems, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension," he added.

In an article in ODE magazine Why Dieting Fails by Kim Ridley, she explains, "The body typically stashes toxins absorbed from food, water, and other sources in fat cells. In the late 1990's, a research team led by Professor Angelo Tremblay of Laval University in Quebec began studying the effects of organochlorines like DDT, dioxins and PCBs on the metabolisms of people enrolled in weight-loss programs.

Building on earlier work by Italian researchers, the Canadian team found that levels of industrial pollutants in the dieter's blood rose as they lost weight; fat cells shrink and release the contaminants back into the bloodstream.

Tremblay and his colleagues further reported that as these levels rose, the levels of thyroid hormones necessary to maintain an efficient metabolism plummeted. "If I were to put this in journalistic terms, I might say that the organochlorines essentially shut down the metabolic furnace that helps the body burn fat," Tremblay told The Ecologist. The Canadian team's research continues to confirm that these chemicals may be among the major contributors to rebound weight gain!

Adding to the evidence is research by Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton, author of The Detox Diet. After extensively examining the effects of various classes of chemical pollutants on the body's weight-control system, she made a surprising and counterintuitive discovery: Some of the same chemicals that cause weight loss in high doses can lead to weight gain at the very low levels which are exposes to them in everyday life."

Some researchers are suggesting that these chemicals are triggering obesity in other ways. For instance the chemical Bisphenol A, you know, the stuff found in hard plastics like 99% of baby bottles, transform "baby" fat cells into full-fledged mature fat cells. "As these fat cells proliferate, it becomes more difficult to lose weight and keep it off."

So all those plastic baby bottles, we so nonchalantly use to feed our babies are leaching endocrine disrupting chemicals into their little systems! I just have to wonder what else is being altered in their little bodies.

I recall a study done on the wildlife in Lake Apopka in Florida. It showed a direct correlation between diminished penis sizes in alligators and the amount of endocrine disrupting chemicals stored in their body fat. They also found that male fish with minimal levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals in their body fat were mimicking the mating behaviors of the female fish. So, who knows what all these chemicals will do to us? Truthfully, only time will tell, we are just starting to see the impact of the Chemical Revolution that came out of World War II.

Another study by David B. Allison, Ph.D., professor of biostatistics in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Public Health hypothesizes that there may be 10 factors that contribute to obesity.

The 10 factors that may have contributed to the rise in obesity rates are:

• Less sleep can cause increased body weight;
• Endocrine disruptors, including DDT and PCBs can increase body fat;
• Keeping ones home or office at one temperature year around promotes body fat;
• Smoking cessation increases weight because nicotine has both thermogenic and appetite suppressant effects;
• Certain pharmaceuticals, including antipsychotics, antidepressants, contraceptives and antihistamines increase weight;
• Some age and ethnic groups that have a higher prevalence of obesity than others have increased as a proportion of the population;
• Greater maternal age may increases risk of offspring obesity;
• Obesity may perpetuate its own increase through a fatally-driven positive feedback loop;
• Obesity has a genetic component and individuals with genetic predisposition toward obesity may be reproducing at a higher rate; and this can increase the number of offspring with high levels of adiposity.
• The probability that two individuals will mate is related to how similar their body types in adiposity and this can increase the number of offspring with high levels of adiposity.

Wow! So, basically, everything contributes to OBESITY! Actually, I am a big believer that there are many contributing factors to the increase of our waistlines around the world. And, given the science, I do believe that chemicals are playing a role in how our metabolism develops as well as our appetite. Although, it doesn't help that your fast food restaurants put yummy addicting chemical flavors in there food!

Even though we have many contributing factors to Obesity, the bottom line is that it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about how and what we need to do to better take care of ourselves and our families.

To learn more about nutrition read my article Nutrition and a Healthier Life

And if your interested in learning more about organic foods read Is Organic Worth It?

Want to consider other options? This great site provides you with the facts and news on the global push to reduce plastic and paper bag consumption. Plus, simple actions you can take to help the cause. You can find a whole slew of alternatives for plastic this is where we get our reusable water bottles and sandwich wraps. ReusableBags.com

Take the conscious road to authentic power!

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